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Calendar No. 599. 

64th Congress, I SENATE. j Report 

1st Session. \ \ No. 662. 



NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. 



July 7 (calendar day, July 12), 1916. — Ordered to be i^rinted. 



Mr. Smoot, from the Committee on Public Lands, submitted the 
following 

REPORT. 

[To accompany H. R. 15522.] 

The Committee on Public Lands, to which was referred the bill 
(H. R. 15522) to establish a national park service, and for other 
purposes, having had the same under consideration, begs leave to 
report it back to the Senate with the following amendment: 

Page 1, lines 13 and 14, strike out the words "Congress may from 
time to time provide for by appropriation or other act," and insert in 
lieu thereof the following: "the Secretary of the Interior shall deem 
necessary." 

As thus amended the committee recommend that the bill do pass. 

The Committee on the Public Lands of the House made a very full 
and comprehensive report upon the subject matter of this legislation 
(H. Rept. No. 700, 64th Cong., 1st sess.). The following statement 
is taken from this report : 

The bill (H. R. 15522) recommended for passage provides for a coherent organization 
in Washington and in the field of a service to the end that it shall "promote and regu- 
late the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reserva- 
tions by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of the 
aforesaid parks, monuments, and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the 
scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein, and to provide 
for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them 
unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." 

The growing appreciation of the national assets found in the national parks and 
monuments is evidenced l)y the vast increase of visitors. The great trend toward 
the parks means retaining in this country the millions expended by our toiu'ists in 
foreign travel previously spent al^road. This economic value of the parks is only 
recently coming to be realized . It is a factor of importance, in addition to the benefits 
to our people in their outdoor education and exercise. With equal scenery, we are 
lagging far behind the European countries, notably Switzerland, and are outclassed 
by the development of park travel and park use in Canada. 

Notwithstanding the great extent and value of our park areas, there has not been, 
nor is there at present any organization sufficiently complete or adequate to handle 
the various administrative phases. The parks are now managed in the Department 
of the Interior by an assistant to the Secretary, whose work in this line is merely by 
assignment, and whose tenure of office is subject to the tenure of the Secretary of the 



11551 



2 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. 

Interior. The cleriral force is collected from various employees in the depaifcment 
in accordance with their aptitude, hut they are uiialjle to devote all of their time to 
the specific tasks of this service. 

There is a lack of lli'xil)ility in the field service, and the great work that is going on 
has been jierformcd in a hajihazard way. The success of recent efforts has been due 
largely to unexpected xuluntecr service, and to extra work by those already holding 
responsible and laborious jxisitions. In this bill the committee in section 1 has speci- 
fied the salaries as follows; Of the director, !?r),()(JO per annum; an assistant director, 
at $2,500 per annum; a chief clerk, at $2,000 per annum; one draftsman, at $1,800 per 
annum, and one messenger, at $(jOO per annum, or a total of $11,900. It was brought 
out in the hearings that for the present the needed ofhce expense in Washington will 
amount api)roxiniately to $1!),!).S0. 

Inasmuch as it would be impossible, without an experience derived from actual 
operation, to specify exactly the clerical force needed, the bill can only provide for a 
general fund for as.-^istaiits other than those specifically named, bringing tlie total 
amount to be expended in Washington to $20,000 lor $8,100 in addition to specified 
salaries), which the committee regards as the least amount that can be considered 
adecjuate. The bill provides for turning over into the national-park service at the 
discretion of the Secretary, any or all of the field employees, and gives him the same 
latitude of appointment and control of the field force that he now has. Under the cus- 
toms of the Appropriations Committee, specified amounts are annually appropriated 
for each of the several parks, based upon their .several needs, and the bill neither adds 
to the present appointing power of the Secretary nor detracts therefrom, except as it 
provides for an othce force in tlie District of Columbia, which is specifically limited 
in amount to total .salaries of $20,000 per annum. 

The bill provides for the management and improvement under the national park 
service of all the national parks and the national monuments which are now under 
the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, and includes the Hot Springs Res- 
ervation in the State of Arkansas. 

The growing popularity of the parks is evidenced by figures showing the visitors in 
the year 1915, as follows; 

Visitors to national parks, 190S to 1915. 



Name of park. 



Yellowstone National Park 

Yosemite National Park 

Sequoia National Park 

General Grant National Park. . . . 
Mount Rainier National Park. . . 

Mesa Verde Nat ional Park 

Crater Lake National Park 

Wind Cave National Park 

Piatt National Park 

■Sullys Hill National Park 

Hot Sprinjis Reser\ation 

(ilaoier National Park 

Roekv Mountain National Park. 



1908 



1909 



19,542 
8,850 
1,251 
1,773 
3,511 
80 
5,275 
3,171 

26,000 
250 



32,545 

13,182 

854 

798 

5,968 

165 

4,171 

3,216 

25,000 

190 



1910 



19,575 

13,619 

2,407 

1,178 

8,000 

2,50 

5,000 

3,387 

25,000 

190 

120,000 



1911 



1912 



23,054 

12,5.30 

3,114 

2,160 

10,306 

206 

4,500 

3,887 

30,000 

200 

130,000 

4,000 



I 22,970 

10,884 

\ 2,923 

2,240 

I 8, 946 

230 

5,235 

3,199 

31,000 

200 

135,000 

6, 257 



1913 



24,929 

13, 735 

3,823 

2,756 

13,501 

280 

6,253 

3,988 

35,000 

300 

135,000 

12,138 



20,250 
15,145 

4,667 

3,735 

15,038 

502 

7,096 

3,592 

30,000 

500 

125,000 

14,168 



51,895 
33,452 

7,647 

10,523 

35,166 

663 

11,371 

2,817 
20, (KX) 

1,000 
115,000 
14,265 
31,000 



In conclusion, the committee would reprint the last paragraph submitted by the 
Secretary of the Interior, which goes to the (piestion of the expense of administration, 
and which the committee has every reason to accept; 

"It shoidd be possible to administer these reservations along one general compre- 
hen.sive line instead of having to deal with each .separate reservation as an independent 
entity without any relation to any other reservation, which latter arrangement is. to 
my mind, unbusinesslike and inefficient. I have given this matter considerable 
thought, as has my assistant, who is particularly interested in and devoted to the 
promotion of our national parks and monuinent-f. and it is believed that II. II. 15522 
will obviate a great many of the difficulties we have encountered in the past in ad- 
ministering these reservations to the best advantage. It involves no additional 
expenditure by the Government, but, on the other hand, shoidd effect economy." 

The committee is of the opinion that i)lans now being carried out mil tend more 
and more to make the parks self-sustaining, without extortion or unreasonable charge 
on the traveling pid)lic. merely by organization and control of the concessionaires. 
The subject of concessions is taken into account in section 3, where it is provided that 
the Secretary of the Interior may "grant privileges, leases, and permits for the use of 



D. Qf ^• 
AUG 8 1916 



NATIONAL PAEK SERVICE. 3 

land for the accommodation of visitors in the various parks, monuments, or other 
reservations herein provided for, but for periods not exceeding 20 years." 

Under the terms of concessions already granted the public is insured good service 
and reasonable charges, and the revenues thus secured amounted in the aggregate for 
the year 1915 to 1173,554.88. 

The committee believes that through the organization and establishment of a park 
service we shall make our home country a place worthy of retaining our own tourists 
and securing others, and that we shall also create a knowledge of the land we possess, 
which will develop a higher patriotism. 

The bill H. R. 15522 as approved by the committees in place and stead of bills 
H. R. 434, by Mr. Raker, and H. R. 8668, by Mr. Kent, was submitted to Hon. Franklin 
K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, for consideration and report, and thereafter on the 
10th day of May, 1916, Hon. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, made report 
thereon to Hon. Scott Ferris, chairman Committee on the Public Lands, which report 
is as follows : 

Department of the Interior, 
Washington, May 10, 1916. 

My Dear Mr. Ferris: I have your request for report upon H. R. 15522, "A bill 
to establish a national-park service, and for other purposes." 

There are administered by this department 13 national parks, with a total area of 
over 4,600,000 acres, 19 national monuments, with an area of about 85,000 acres, and 
the Hot Springs Reservation in the State of Arkansas. These various reservations 
have been created from time to time under laws which are not uniform. For adminis- 
trative purposes each of the reservations is a separate and distinct unit. This is so even 
to the extent that it is not possible under existing law to transfer a ranger from one part 
or monument to another, although such action might for various reasons be desirable 
or necessary. 

The general administrative work, preparation of concession contracts, preparation of 
regulations governing the reservations, consideration of legal questions that arise, dis- 
bursement of money, etc., is handled by a few employees of the office of the chief clerk 
of the department, practically all of whom have other departmental duties to perform, 
making it impossible for them to devote more than part of their time to the work of 
considering the details of the administration of the national parks and monuments. 

As your hearings on the matter of establishing a national-park service developed, the 
the activities in the various parks have increased greatly in recent years, the number of 
our people ^dsiting the parks being steadily on the increase. This, of course, has 
resulted in additional work to be done at Washington, and to such an extent that we 
have been hampered for lack of assistance here. 

It should be possible to administer these reservations along one general compre- 
hensive line instead of having to deal with each separate reservation as an independ- 
ent entity without any relation to any other reservations, which latter arrangement 
is, to my mind, unbusinesslike and inefficient. I have given this matter consider- 
able thought, as has my assistant, who is particularly interested in and devoted to 
the promotion of our national parks and monuments, and it is believed that H. R. 
15522 will ob\"iate a great many of the difficulties we have encountered in the past 
in administering these reservations to the best advantage. It involves no additional 
expenditure by the Government, but, on the other hand, should effect economy. 

I therefore strongly urge upon your committee and upon Congress the pressing 
necessity for the early enactment of this legislation. 
Cordially, yours, 

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary, 

Hon. Scott Ferris, 

Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives. 

The substitute bill adopted by the committee was referred by the Committee on 
the Public Lands to Hon. David F. Houston, Secretary of Agriculture, for considera- 
tion and report thereon to the committee, and thereafter, on the 16th day of May, 1916, 
Hon. David F. Houston, Secretary of Agriculture, submitted report to Hon. Scott 
Ferris, chairman Committee on the Public Lands, which report is as follows: 

Department of Agriculture, 

Washington, May 16, 1916. 
Hon. Scott Ferris, 

Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives. 
Dear Mr. Ferris: Receipt is acknowledged of a copy of H. R. 15522. "To establish 
a national park service," together with a request that this department submit a report 
thereon, with such suggestions and recommendations as it may desire to make. 



4 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. 

This measiu'e, it is understood, is proposed in lieu of H. R. 8G68. This department 
is heartily in favor of the estal)lishment of a national park service, and in its report 
of February 12 expressed itself favoral)le to such action. The rei)ort of the depart- 
ment on the previous bill expressed disapproval of the provision for a direct transfer 
to another department of such monuments as are now under national forest withdrawal 
and form a part of existing national forests. The report of the Secretary of the In- 
terior on 11. R. 86G8 suggested an amendment consistent with the position of this 
department and which would meet the difliculties set forth in our previous rejwrt. 
The report of the Secretary of the Interior on the former bill recommended as follows: 

"After the word 'monuments' on line 12, page 1, insert 'now under the jurisdic- 
tion of the Department of the Interior and of.' " 

In conformity with prcAious recommendation this department, therefore, will offer 
no objection to II. R. 8GC8 as amended by the Secretary of the Interior. Correspond- 
ingly the measure now before the department, H. R. 15522, would be in satisfactory 
form if amended by striking out the words "and the Department of Agriculture," 
from lines 19 and 20, jjage 2, and inserting the word "such" after the word "of" in 
line 24. page 2. 

It is the department's idea that eventually the national monument area remaining 
under the administration of this department will be greatly reduced . Unquestionably 
the Grand Canyon should l)e established as a national park and placed under the direct 
administration of the national park ser\'ice. Such a plan and measure would meet 
with the department's earnest approval. In addition, the Mount 01ymj)us national 
monument, which is the only other monument under the administration of this 
department embracing any considerable area, should be given careful consideration 
as a possible national park, and if not included in such park by congressional action, 
should be restored to its original status as national forest land. If it should eventually 
be found desirable to transfer to the park service any of the other nine national monu- 
ments in the national forests, this may be accomplished at any time for any particular 
area by the issuance of a presidential proclamation vacating the national forest with- 
drawal in so far as it covered the national monument area. This would have the 
effect of transferring jurisdiction to the national park service. 

If amended as suggested above, this measure would have the very hearty indorse- 
toent of this department. 
Very trulj', yours. 

D. F. Houston, Secretary. 

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